Transferase, any one of a class of more than 450 enzymes that catalyze the transfer of various chemical groups (other than hydrogen) from one compound to another. Transaminases, for example, catalyze the transfer of an amino group (−NH2) from an amino acid to an a-keto acid. Phosphate, methyl (−CH3), and sulfur-containing groups are among the other groups transferred by the action of these enzymes. For the large and important group of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of hydrogen, seeoxidoreductase.

Learn More in these related articles:

any member of a class of enzymes, commonly known as dehydrogenases or oxidases, that catalyze the removal of hydrogen atoms and electrons from the compounds on which they act. Substances called coenzymes, associated with the oxidoreductase enzymes and necessary for their activity, accept the...

...the group known as oxidoreductases; those that catalyze the introduction of the elements of water at a specific site in a molecule are called hydrolases. The other four groups of reactions are the transferases—which catalyze reactions in which substances other than hydrogen are transferred—the lyases, the isomerases, and the ligases. Oxidoreductases and transferases account for...

...has been developed based on the type of reaction the enzyme catalyzes. There are six principal categories and their reactions: (1) oxidoreductases, which are involved in electron transfer; (2) transferases, which transfer a chemical group from one substance to another; (3) hydrolases, which cleave the substrate by uptake of a water molecule (hydrolysis); (4) lyases, which form double bonds...